Come Together
by Chain Mell
Summary: It's been a while after the war and Duo has been more or less MIA. Quatre decides to host a get together to bring them all back under one roof. Things had obviously changed over the years. Question is: how much?
1. Chapter 1

Duo sat at the bar, nursing his drink as the crowd shifted and glided by his lonesome form. It was night time on the L2 colony and it was also a Friday. Smithy s was always busy on Friday nights, for which the long haired American was grateful. Everyone would be too wrapped up in their duties or themselves to really bother with him while he wallowed in his own tub of misery. This week was no different, thankfully. And so he had assumed the barstool which was unofficially reserved for him week after week in the most popular club on the colony. The harsh beat of the music assaulted his ears, coupled with the near futile attempts of people trying to shout over the music in order to communicate with each other.

It had been six years after the wars had ended and two of the gundam pilots had joined up with the Preventers. Duo had gone into salvage for the first two years after but soon quit, not feeling the same after fighting a war for so long. Now here he was, at a bar four years later as an off duty mechanic, the best in all of L2. It was to be expected, but the income wasn t as good as it should be given L2 s state of poverty. But that never got him down any. He was making a living; finding use for his seemingly meaningless life. He d already had his revenge during the war and now he was lost. Peace had been attained and all was mostly well again. Quatre had taken over the Winner Family business and Trowa, last he heard anyway, was back with Catherine and the circus. And of course, that left Heero and Wufei being the ones who had joined up under the command of Lady Une. Everyone else had found their place almost immediately after those trying times and yet here was Duo, the self proclaimed God of Death, sitting at a damned bar and feeling sorry for himself. It was sad, and he knew it.

The American s thoughts were interrupted by the beginning of a slow, soft melody that had followed a sharp silence he had never noticed. A lovely smooth alto joined the mellowed atmosphere from its position on the small stage in the lounge. It seemed to lull his senses and give him a feeling of calm that he hadn t felt in a very long time. He turned his weary eyes to follow the crowd s intent gaze. There, atop the stage and behind the mike stood a lady wearing a normal black sweat suit, her features sharp and pretty with an undertone of street marred innocence. Her hair was all natural, pulled back into a fluffy puff, leaving her nearly black eyes out in the open for all to see. They were dull, much like Duo s very own, but he knew only because he looked for it. Maybe they were alike in some way. But it was so really uncanny, that the love ballads pouring from her lips were so filled with emotion as if she had experienced them all first hand.

Briefly, their eyes meet and she glances away, turning her attention to the other side of the lounge, unaware of the connection that was felt by the long haired customer. Duo sat up on his stool, his attention gripped firmly by the sheer purity of the voice that laced his ears. The entire bar was silent, customers and workers alike not daring to break the spell she had them all under. It was truly a sight to behold and a scene to witness.

The song had ended all too soon but an enormous roar of appreciative applause backed it up full force. The entertainer took a low bow and waltzed off stage, finished for the night despite groans of dismay and pleadings for another performance. Duo swirled the last bit of beer in his bottle and chugged it down, using everyone else s distraction as his cue to exeunt. He walked out into the sweltering heat, despite the fact that it was the night cycle of the colony. It was common knowledge of L2 s motor difficulties which no one cared enough about to look into. The colony itself was treated like dirt and was left to rot to pieces with homeless children and streetwalkers to make a living on the God-forsaken dump. Duo made his way along the sidewalk, his street instincts raising to their full potential as he avoided the dangerous alleys and ignored the various catcalls sent his way and waving off the many streetwalkers that tried to make a customer out of him. They were all tenacious bastards, though. On average on a Friday night he d have to wave off at least fifteen by the time he stalks two blocks on his way home.

Letting his feet guide him, Duo found himself facing the splintered wooden door that hid the apartment he lived in from the rest of the world. He unlocked it and stepped inside, the dusty smell phasing him not as he had gotten used to it over the years. Duo tossed the keys into the tray on the coffee table beside the door and stripped himself of the shirt that had gotten stuck to his body with sweat. He sighed heavily as he bypassed the answering machine which held a few messages for him, opting to take a much needed shower first as the voice of the girl s song filtered through his mind. She had begun performing there two weeks ago and had earned the place a lot more business than it already had. She was talented and intelligent. He knew from the way she sang in a different language for each song. Once in a while she would skip over to English between verses, but stuck with the foreign tongues. It really interested Duo, anyway. It was nice to hear a different language other than English slapping his ears back and forth everyday

He let the cold water wash over his skin, both hands supporting his body while he hung his head under the shower head to flush out some of the dirt and grime before liberally lathering it with some shampoo. This was the only luxury he really got anyway. Even if the shower was cold and biting down into his skin.

Once out of the shower he walked over to the answering machine and let the day old messages play. The first was form Hilde, announcing her weekly check up on her good friend. The second was from James, a friend of his from his old job with Hilde. It wasn t anything urgent so he could always call tomorrow while he was at work. The others were so unimportant they weren t even worth mentioning. He erased them all, making up his mind to call Hilde in the morning. He was about to make his way into the kitchen when the phone rang. He figured he d let it ring a few more times and go to the machine before deciding if it was important or not, still moving toward the kitchen. He was in the middle of swallowing some apple juice when the most unexpected voice sounded over the speaker.

"Duo! It s me, Quatre. Hilde gave me your number and I wanted to invite you to..."

At the name, the poor apple juice found itself splattered over the counter and floor while the glass stood forgotten in the sink as Duo dashed for the phone to activate the vid feature.

"Quatre?" He asked, his voice a bit uncertain while his eyes trailed over the blonde s face. The businessman had really matured. All his baby fat was gone, replaced by the chiseled features of a natural Arab. His hair was a bit longer, some of it framing his face and shielding his blue eyes.

"Duo!" Quatre beamed at the American. Duo couldn t help but smile that time. Quatre hadn t changed one bit. "It s so good to see you again after so long! How ve you been?"

A tall figure came into view behind Quatre and a familiar, yet deeper voice came through the line.

"That Duo?" The figure bent nearly in half to reveal half a face and one emerald eye. The stoic European had not changed much but from the looks of it, Duo could tell he had gotten taller. The damn giant...

"Hey there, Trowa. Long time no see, man." was Duo's response. Trowa shocked him into near silence when a bright smile washed across his features.

"It has been a long time." Trowa lifted a long leg over the chair Quatre was sitting in and straddled the object, resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder.

Both Duo s eyebrows raised at the action. What had he been missing? "I'll say," he responded, still shocked. Quatre chuckled, leaning back into the other man s chest.

"You could get to know all the technicalities if you come for the party I m throwing next week for us old wartime comrades. You re dying to know, anyway. I can see it."

Duo let a smile take over. "You know me too well."

Trowa spoke up. "Then we ll see if Midget Boy ever gained any inches."

Duo s mouth dropped helplessly. Had Trowa just made a joke? Then he huffed. "You're the damned giant, Bang Boy."

In the back of his mind, Duo was too shocked to see that his Jester s Mask had slipped on so easily. He was joking with the others like no time has ever passed. Old habits do die hard.

They talked for a while longer, the blond revealing that Wufei and Sally had tied the knot three years ago and expecting a child in the next two months. Duo was beyond shock when he heard that Wufei actually surrendered the rest of his life to an onna and then to go and have a kid It was hilarious, really. Then the last they heard of Heero, he was still introverted as usual but more sociable with just the pilots.

Even though he was happy for the others, inside Duo was crumbling. He was always the last of the apostles when it came to things like these. Everyone had gotten what they wanted. And him? His life was just a cloud of smoke and would disappear soon enough.

"What about you, Duo?" Trowa cut into his thoughts. Duo froze for a minute. But then he decided that things couldn t get much worse than they already were.

"Went into salvage for a couple years then broke off," he replied in a lazy tone. His life wasn t all that exciting anyway. "I'm a mechanic now. Own my own garage."

"Good to see you re taking care of yourself," said Quatre, his smile never faltering. Duo absently wondered if that s how he looked back then. Wearing grins that could almost tear his face in half. "Listen, don t forget about the get together, alright? If you need it, I ll pay your way for you."

God knows he needed it but Duo wasn t about to show his shortcomings this early in the game. Pride was going to be the death of him one day but he couldn t be weak in front of the others.

"No, no. I ll make it."

They said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving Duo with his head in his hands mere seconds afterward. If trying to get a barely surviving business wasn t bad enough, he had to face the world all over again. With a smile and a joke. Just like old times Duo sighed. Just when you think you try to get away from the past, it just drags you back in.

* * *

**A/N: I don t know what the hell this is, either. I just sat there and wrote, really. And now I m back with a title-less story. If you got a name ready after the first three chapters (Lord only knows when I m actually gonna get to the middle of the second one if there s any) let me know. Thanks for reading! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

"What about you, Duo?" Trowa asked, voicing Quatre's thoughts. It had been nearly a decade since they had last seen their braided friend and it was more than awesome to see him again. Even if it was on the phone. Duo's features had changed. Just like everyone else. He had lost that wad of fat in his cheeks and looked more his age, if not older. He still wore his trademark braid which should be to the ground or more by now.

Duo, on the screen, relaxed in his chair and got this bored expression on his face.

"Went into salvage for a couple years then broke off," he replied in a lazy tone, as if life was crap after the war was over. "I'm a mechanic now. Own my own garage."

Quatre got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach but he let it pass, his grin never fading. "Good to see you're taking care of yourself," he said. He knows that Duo doesn't lie but when he had made that phone call to Hilde…

He cut off the thought immediately. "Listen, don't forget about the get together, alright? If you need it, I'll pay your way for you."

What a way to drop the bombshell but if Duo really needed it, he would ask.

….Wouldn't he?

"No, no. I'll make it." Duo said, sounding so sure of himself. If Quatre hadn't had that talk with Hilde he wouldn't have known the difference between the old Duo and this one.

They said their goodbyes and hung up, Trowa wrapping his arms around Quatre. "Love?" The former acrobat queried.

Quatre just sighed and leaned into his lover. "I don't know, Trowa." He pulled himself away from Trowa after a few silent seconds. "…I just don't know."

****************************

He loved the bar and the bar loved him. He wanted to get away for a while, the bar was the place to go. It may be a little warped considering that since he wanted to be alone, he found his state of solitude at a popular, usually crowded joint in the middle of the 'city'. But he couldn't care less. He knew just about no one there besides the bartender. Personally, anyway. Everyone else was just a familiar face and voice. The lounge carried on as per usual every Friday night, just about everyone on the dance floor, battling it out to see who was the best dancer or who'd be the first to call it quits and go to a table. Some just wanted to wear themselves out and be relaxed by the weekly performances by that new girl who had just started out. And honestly, ever since he actually _heard_ her, she became a part of his reason to be at _Smithy's_.

The heavy bass rocked the building, matching Duo's heartbeat one for two. He felt the familiar sting of his beer going down and warming his insides. Sam Adams had become one of his closest friends, too. He set the empty bottle on the freshly polished surface and signaling for another. A Heineken was set in front of him this time, Smithy, the bartender and owner, had always shifted the beer around to keep Duo in the real world. The same taste over and over would just get him stalled on one kind of beer.

The story of his life.

The deafening silence met his ears, and this time he was prepared for it. The entire place was silent, the only sounds were muffled screams of pain and gang wars which were going on outside in the different alleyways. Everyday occurrences, were they, and so were treated as if looking before crossing the street. Hardly anyone cared, and those who did couldn't do shit about it.

The story of L2.

"Tonight, we're going to do things a little different," were the words that came out of chapped, slightly swollen lips. They were mere words. Her speaking voice. Everyone and their whore were entranced, really. Usually she would just start the music and sing; do her job and hike it. Her voice was sort of deep, not manly at all but mature. Even for how she looked. A mini-woman.

"This is dedicated to all of us who want to find a way out without taking the easy one," she continued. "And to those of us who want to find that way while we're still trapped inside the harsh reality we all live in."

She turned and took the guitar from the lead guitarist who sat in the shadows of the stage. Customers and workers all around shifted into more comfortable positions, waiting for what was to come. Strumming the first few notes, the drummer joined in and she began to sing. The words that poured out were English. Pure, American tongue of truth. Listening closely, Duo found that if only a few of the words were changed, he could morph them into a sculpture of himself. It spoke to him.

"…_I don't want to be the girl who has to fill the silence… The quiet scares me 'cause it screams the truth. Please don't tell me that we had that conversation…We'll all remember. Save your breath 'cause what's the use…?"_

Her death clouded eyes slid toward different people, lingering a bit on each face. When those lines rung out of her, she turned to look over at the bar, and right at Duo. It was as if she could tell who felt what. Like empathy through music. It was…

Just plain crazy. What was Duo thinking?

The song was over after a few moments and then there was a twinkling noise before a smooth, median soprano filled the air. The guitar had already been returned and the entire bar was caught up in the soft tune. The girl had her eyes closed as she moved her head around the mike to the song. Some of the customers found themselves doing the same thing. On the last note, she drew it out, wrapping the whole bar in the mood she had set as she warbled on. When the song was done, she was awarded, as usual, with applause to die for.

Suddenly a sort of, alien sound came from the band. "And for all you who like to rock," she said. "And rock out loud, this is for you." The instrumental continued on for a few seconds more before she began to sing. It was amazing, really, how she could sing just about anything in any tune. And in any language you care to throw at her. Any average 'outsider' would jump and say she was lip synching. But Duo knew better. She was a star. One that probably would only flicker and die away before being given a chance to shine on anything.

Duo absently chugged down his seventh beer, a Kalik. It was from the Bahamas. Their very own beer, believe it or not. It's good stuff. Named it after the sound cowbells make during their annual Junkanoo festival.

The song ended on an abrupt note and she stepped back from the mike, signaling her end. The customers cheered her on, and still shouts pleading for one more came through all the whistling and clapping. And as usual, Duo paid his bill and headed for the exit.

TGIF… He thought absently.

……………**.**

Sleep mussed bangs were irritably shoved out of the way of bleary blue eyes as they stared balefully at the alarm clock. He was convinced that it was too early to be getting up. A large, golden hand landed heavily on the snooze button to quiet the annoying machine and grace his aching head with blissful silence. With a truly world weary sigh, he rolled out of bed and stood, stretching and scratching his belly. Saturdays suck. Many may not agree, but try having to spend that glorious day with a girl who wants nothing more than to seduce you.

Oh the joys of being savior of the world.

It couldn't get any worse than that, really.

In an instant unwanted images flashed through his mind.

Scratch that. It could get a _lot_ worse. But not if he could help it.

The kitchen was mercilessly bright and he had to squint a little until his eyes adjusted. His training had been slipping in the 'home' area these past few years. That false sense of security was really getting to him.

Opening the fridge, he put a hand in and retrieved a gallon of apple juice. OJ is pretty much useless in the morning. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why people insisted on having orange juice in the mornings. All it did was scratch your throat and leave a tangy aftertaste that would take about all of ten minutes to scrub _most_ of it off in the bathroom.

So what if he's bitching? Can't the 'hero' complain once in a while?!

His stomach had been temporarily sated and he set the bottle back in the fridge and made his way grumpily to the phone that had begun to ring.

The ID said it was Quatre and so, not caring how he looked at the moment, he switched on the vid.

"Good morning, Heero!"

Ugh.

"Hn." he replied, thankful that it was his normal response on a regular basis, _and_ it was normal for when one just woke up. Besides, if it wasn't Quatre on the phone, he would've glared daggers at the person and hung up. All that cheer at eight in the morning on a Saturday was _not_ acceptable.

"Listen," the blond continued, checking his own watch. "Just dropping in to let you know about the get together I'm having for all of us this coming Saturday. I know it's early but by the end of the day I won't have the time to tell you about it." The businessman paused for breath. "So are you going to come?"

Heero grunted an affirmative.

"Great!" Quatre beamed. "Now that I'd gotten everyone, we'd all be able to have a good time."

Heero was awake that instant. "Everyone?"

"Oh," Quatre said, as if just remembering something. "I'd gotten to Duo through Hilde after tracking her down. The woman doesn't stay still, I'll tell you that. He said he'd be joining us."

Heero sat there, staring dumbly at Quatre. It had been years. Six, long years since anyone's seen or heard of Duo. Shit, some even thought he'd died somewhere on L2. The place was desolate, so it was a possibility but not a large one.

"…looks fine, actually." Quatre said, only that bit coming through to Heero. He retraced what had happened and realized that he said that Duo looked fine and doing well. That was good. Sounded like he hadn't changed much.

He _thought_ it was good. Was it?

Heero grunted, not really sure what to say to that and once again thankful for the morning hours. In that instant, Trowa came by the chair where Quatre was seated.

"Come on, love," he said. "Let Heero sleep. You've got a meeting in an hour and you have to make ready."

And emerald eye glanced at Heero apologetically. Quatre relented without much fuss, surprisingly and they all said their goodbyes, leaving Heero to his devices. The Japanese sat looking at the black screen for a few long moments. In about a week he was going to see Duo, his supposed best friend, for the first time in six years.

Now, normally this shouldn't bother him as much as it did now. He should be quietly ecstatic. Not sitting there with his mind morphed around the belief of awaiting his death. This was Duo he was thinking about. Not some psychotic loon.

…Fine. Not a _complete_ psychotic loon.

Heero pushed the thoughts aside for now, opting to analyze them later. Right now, he needed to catch up on that half hour of sleep he missed.

……………**.**

**A/N: Here's chapter two. Sorry for having Heero in morning mode in all it's grumpy glory. But he's a human being. Even he wants to sleep in every now and again.**

**I know I'm holding Death's Tunnel hostage right about now but I'm still working on it. Off and on, really since I'm trying to work up to the big bang I got planned for you all.**

**So until then…do me proud and review.**

**PLEASE???!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I didn't have any sort of inspiration for this. But, just to let you all know, this is NOT a DuoxOC fic. No. It is a 1x2. I've decided to continue it since I know that I'm WAY overdue for any kind of writing.**

**I'm terribly sorry for the time elapsed between updates. I've promised over and over that I'd also continue Treading Through Trouble Waters, but I've been getting serious blocks on that thing. I'm not sure where I went idealistically wrong, but I'll have to root that out before the light at the end of that tunnel flickers and dies out.**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

Duo sighed, looking at the worn duffel that sat on his bed. The poor thing had gotten its long deserved rest but it was time to come out and play again.

"I know how you feel, buddy," Duo murmured, patting the old black leather. He turned and left the duffel on his bed. He'd get it later on the way to the shuttle port after work. The braided man proceeded to tie off the end of his trademark possession as he made his way to the front door, taking one last cursory glance over everything and leaving for the day.

L2 in the mornings made door nails look like the lives of the party. Whores left seedy looking areas, the kiddies emerged in 'stealth mode' in order to forage for the day's meal, and pimps dragged their 'employees' out to earn their keep. Duo flipped his collar and began the familiar walk routine - at least one of them. It wasn't safe at all to stick to one monotonous routine in any place, especially on L2. It was stupid to do so since it made one an easy target. Who knows? Maybe if he took that rule a little more seriously he might have avoided the others. Then again…

The former Deathscythe pilot sighed. If anything he never had initiated much contact with the others because he wasn't exactly needed. He annoyed Heero because let's face it - the guy's reactions were the best. Well, at least, next to Wufei. It was a challenge to get a reaction out of Heero, and when he did, he was _not_ disappointed. Boredom was what really got him to get attached in any way with the pilots, to be honest. Quatre was the closest thing to a friend he'd ever had during the wars, but in the end, the blond Arab, despite his awesome qualities, was just another shelter in the time of storm. Duo would have to leave the guy and go somewhere else just like the little hidey holes he found around L2 as a runt.

Don't get him wrong, Duo felt that all five of them could have been a close knit group. Okay, well, as close as the five of them could be. But he was sure Quatre had that emotional glue that would keep the other four together. Quatre was the one who dragged answers out of the other three near effortlessly and he was the one they all confided in.

Duo was just the random moment that came up every once in a while. He wasn't needed anymore because they all had their jobs to spring randomness onto them. So where did that leave him?

Right there thinking about the reunion he was supposed to find the cash to go to.

Why the hell did he even accept the invitation? Or more importantly, who told Hilde to blab his number?

Duo sighed and rolled his eyes. Well, he'd get the cash somehow but he didn't want to be there by himself! He'd ask Hilde but he knew she wouldn't be able to go. That woman was always on the move. He needed a scapegoat or a wingman so he could leave any scene he wanted to. Question was, who could he take that he had little to no ties with and leave with no hard feelings?

Sweet mother, he sounded like he was looking for a one night stand.

"Not so far off, though," he muttered to himself, rounding a corner.

Or was going to when he was flattened by a black and white blur. He blinked, a little dazed, before sitting up. Beside him, he heard a whispered string of obscenities that he was sure only he could come up with on such short notice.

Looking over to his left, he saw a pretty big kid, probably a teen, puffy hair wild and curly, wearing a white shirt and basketball shorts. The kid turned to glare at Duo, gray eyes flashing intensely. But they softened minutely. The child rose and offered Duo a hand.

He took it, perplexed. Was this a new kid or something? By the time a rat was done cussing the fact that someone run into them (and not the other way around) he would have been crucified with seven different insults and the kid would have disappeared.

"I'm sorry." Street rats with manners? Not a first, but damn sure a rarity.

"Get that little bastard!" A shout came from down the street. Both of their heads swiveled to see about five larger boys barreling toward them.

The frazzled teenager apologized again, so quickly that the kid left his voice behind him in his haste to get away.

The larger boys ran past as well, ignoring Duo.

…Odd. But he guessed that this was his random moment of the day.

But the kid's face looked familiar. Either he'd seen him working the streets or failed at picking his pocket before. Whatever the case, it didn't matter. He had a long and tedious hunting trip ahead of him.

**COME TOGETHER COME TOGETHER COME TOGETHER COME TOGETHER COME TOGETHER**

Okay, today was going to hell. And he was sending it there personally. It was nearly five in the afternoon and no cash was forthcoming. He'd seriously contemplating robbing a few people along the way but his better judgment stopped him.

Damn his conscience.

Duo hunched into his jacket and swore, not for the first time that day. He promised Quatre that he'd make it, and damned if he'd make himself a liar. Duo rounded yet another corner and paused at the familiar sound of a gun's safety disengaging. The first thing he did was get behind the nearest car, just when all hell broke loose.

Great. _Another_ setback. He got caught in the middle of a gang war and he'd never make the shuttle; he was broke as hell, yeah, but that wasn't the point right then.

He whirled at the sound of something close to him. He crouched, still not fond of becoming swiss cheese, but ready to defend himself if need be. From beneath the car crawled a familiar shock of black hair. Gray eyes met with his.

The kid from this morning!

"You again," he managed to read the kid's lips. The boy looked around Duo and in the other direction before looking at him again. The child drew his lips into a thin line before taking Duo by the wrist.

"Let's get out of here," he mouthed to Duo.

Well, he did need to get away from the fiasco so why not? Even if it meant placing his life in the hands of an unconventional street rat. Not like he hadn't done so before. It's just…been a long while since then.

The kid led Duo straight into the alley the car was parked next to. It was fairly dim, not enough lighting to show much, but just enough to reveal movement.

They were all the way at the end where a high wall barred their way. The kid looked at the trash cans near it then turned to Duo.

"You c'jump 'em, right?"

Duo didn't bother answering, instead, used the cans as stepping stones and vaulted over the wall. Shortly after the soft sound of sneakers hit the ground behind him. Of course, they weren't safe as yet; there was a ruckus over the cans.

"Shit," the kid swore and grabbed Duo's wrist again. Both ran in some random direction and kept going for about three minutes. Duo had to hand it to the rat. The kid was fast and he had a lot of energy. He idly wondered if those boys ever caught him.

Suddenly, Duo was tugged into another alley. As soon as both other them were far enough inside, the boy stopped at a steel door.

"Lemme in," he hissed, not even knocking.

The door opened not too long afterward and he dragged Duo in behind him. Immediately after, Duo found himself on the ground with his arms pinned.

Double damn.

"Ease up on 'im," the boy's voice cut through the dim light. "He good."

The weight on Duo's back eased almost as fast as it had it appeared and a dainty but dirty hand appeared into his line of vision. Not wanting to be rude, he took it and rose to his feet, stretching and working his abused back.

He froze, however, noticing who had helped him up. It was the girl who sang at the bar.

"You," he breathed.

She had the same sweat suit on, but her hair was just as wild and in disarray as the boy who brought him there. Wherever "there" was, in any case.

"I apologize," she murmured, stepping back.

"You know him?" the boy asked her. She nodded.

"Seen 'im at th' bar I do gigs at," she said, voice still soft. It was nothing like the stage voice she usually used at Smithy's. Was it a stage persona?

"Ma?" came a tentative, but very male, voice from the shadows.

"Hn," she answered.

Duo raised an eyebrow and fought down a laugh. If Heero were a girl this would be him. But what kind of mother answers their kid like that? She was a mother?

Wait.

Duo took a breath and collected himself. He needed to get on board the nine o'clock shuttle and here he was focusing on some woman's motherly habits.

From the shadows, emerged three other boys. All of them looked to be in their mid teenaged years. Scruffy, but none the worse for wear. Just regular street rats in their hideout.

One was blond with wide blue eyes. The second had brown hair and darker eyes, slanted. The third was dark haired like the boy that brought Duo there, but with hazel eyes. This lady had nearly grown kids!

But he needed to get out of here.

"Um," he said, reverting to his now frequently used street dialect. "I needs to go. Got stuff to do."

The girl walked up to Duo and patted his pockets. "You don' carry a wallet 'round."

"'Course I do," he defended, reaching down into my shoe. It's where he always carried it when out and about. But…it wasn't there.

"How much you lose?" she asked me. Duo thought about it. He could force a lie and see if he could get enough for the shuttle ticket…

"Here," his thoughts were interrupted when a wad of cash was thrust into his hands. He looked at the girl quizzically. He couldn't take money from a rat!

"We ain't here for long, so have it," the wild haired boy said, probably knowing what he was thinking. "Think 's 'nough for a shuttle if you lucky."

By that, Duo knew it meant that this kind of money could last someone on L2 a month _with_ leisure spending.

"Who'd y'rob?" Duo asked, curious.

The girl chimed in, however, blocking his question. She looked at the dark haired boy. "Wh'happened?"

"Gang war," he stated simply. The girl nodded, and looked back at Duo.

"We leavin', so you leave, too."

Duo nodded and turned around. Definitely a Heero clone.

But whatever.

Duo and the kids walked to the mouth of the alley and paused. "Thanks," he said.

"Take care," the frazzled boy said around a band he held between his teeth, hastily tying his hair back into an unruly puff.

"We late," one of the three other boys said. It was the brown haired one. "Need t'get there in a minute."

The others wasted no time, setting off at a sprint. The dark haired boy had brought up the rear of the rat stampede but he twisted around and waved at Duo.

Strange bunch, Duo thought, brows furrowed.

He looked at his watch.

Crap!

He set out at a sprint himself in the opposite direction. Damn his decision to leave his duffel behind.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah…I'm sorry. Just didn't have the drive to write. I know this chapter seems so odd and unbalanced and Duo threw you off, but it's going to "Come Together" soon enough. Bad pun, yes, but I don't care right now. It took some doing for me to get the pattern of L2's street slang. So I decided to use my own native dialect to make up for the chopped speech. It seems to work…even if some expressions can't be Romanized.**

**Comments? Questions?**


End file.
